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Thursday, March 09, 2017

China's new stealth drones

http://english.chinamil.com.cn/view/2017-03/09/content_7521038.htm

A WJ-600A/D drone is launched from a vehicle. [Photo/China Daily]

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the nation's largest
missile-maker, has begun to develop military drones that can evade radar
and anti-aircraft weapons.

The company is focusing on the development of a long-endurance
stealth drone and a near-space drone, said Wei Yiyin, CASIC deputy
general manager and a member of the CPPCC National Committee.

It's all part of CASIC's determination to become a world-class
provider of unmanned aircraft and related services, Wei told China
Daily.

"As military reforms are drastically changing armed forces around the
world, drones have become an indispensable weapon in modern warfare
because they can play an important role in high-resolution
reconnaissance, long-distance precision strikes, anti-submarine
operations and aerial combat," Wei said.

Within the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, CASIC will strive to
develop technologies for long-endurance stealth drones, complete the
design of high-speed combat/reconnaissance drones and use these new
products to tap domestic and international markets. The company also
plans to make multipurpose, stealth target aircraft used for training,
he added.

The most popular Chinese military drones on the international market
are the CH family, made by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics,
and Aviation Industry Corp of China's Wing Loong-series. CH drones have been sold to militaries in more than 10 countries, and
the Wing Loong II, which made its maiden flight last week, has captured
the largest contract ever signed for a Chinese export drone.

CASIC has put the WJ-500, WJ-600 and WJ-600A/D military drones on the
market. Unlike other Chinese drones, which resemble fixed-wing planes
with landing gear, CASIC drones all resemble a cruise missile.

The company is the only producer of cruise missiles in China. CASIC's
drones are launched from a vehicle and retrieved after descending by
parachute.

The newest WJ-600A/D has an ultrafast cruising speed of 700 km/h,
while other Chinese drones can reach only 280 km/h as their top speed.
The WJ-600A/D has a stealth design－it appears to be a bird on radar,
according to CASIC's Unmanned Aircraft Institute.

CASIC is also interested in near-space drones. Near space is that
part of Earth's atmosphere at altitudes of 20 to 100 kilometers,
encompassing portions of the stratosphere, mesosphere and lower
thermosphere. It is above the top altitudes of commercial airliners but
below orbiting satellites.
CASIC has sold its drones and drone-based services to geological
survey and maritime authorities, according to Ma Hongzhong, director of
the institute.